Detention appliance for fire-alarm boxes



Jan. 20, 1931- F. WISNIEWSKI DETENTION APPLIANCE FOR FIRE ALARM BOXES Filed Aug. 2, 1928 R Y m m m m m A Patented Jan. 20, 1931 MK wrsnmwsxr; or ammo, PENNSYLVANIA mrrnn'rron APPLI A NGE FOR rmn anamvr BOXES Application file d August 2,

*This invention relatesto fire-alarm systems and more particularly to the station call oralarm boxes of such systems. It aims to provide improved means by which persons sounding alarms will be caught and detained at the alarm-box until released, thusservingas a deterrent against the sounding of false alarms; l

t The invention will be best understood upon- 1. description with referencetothe accompanying drawings whereinan embodiment thereof is shown applied to an. ordinaryfire-alarm box such as seen on any. street corner. 7 t 1 ,In said-drawings: v 1 Fig. 1 is a front elevation illustrating the invention in application to a fire-alarm box a Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing part of the appliance housing broken-away; I

. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the 30 line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

line 4-4 of Fig. 1;,a-nd 7 Fig. 5 is a sectionalplanview on the line 5- 5 of Fig.2. 1 2i i The illustrative device is represented in application to an alarm-box 6. ofja typecom,- Inonly in use.: By slight modification of. parts, it is ap licable. to any type of fire-- alarmtelegrapi embodying manually operso able means for closing anelectric circuit to sound analarm at a fire station. In general, the device or appliance is contained within a housing-member hinged to the front of an alarm-box in place of the 36 usual cover-plate or door, In this instance the housing is formed by an open-backed casing 7 hinged with its back to the front panel of the alarm-box andcarryinganordinary latch-lock 8 to prevent unauthorized openso ing for access toparts within. a l

. n t-he front wall or face of said casing, an opening?" is provided for insertion of a persons hand .to' grasp and operate means for closingthe alarm circuit. Over this open- 46 big, a flap-door 9 is hinged and provided Fig. his a sectional elevation takenon the 1928. Serial No. 296,995.

with aturn-handle 9 by which" it may be in acounter-clock-wis'e direction through an 7 I are of approximately ninety degrees. A stop pin 11 prevents it being turned in the opposite direction.

Said handle is normally held against turning by a sprin -pressed plunger 12 movable in guides 10 t ereon and projectinginto a recess 7 in the aforesaid back-plate of the casing. Said plungeris shown pivotally connected to one end of a link13 which is swive eled on the handle and pivotally connected at its other end with a push-pin 14, the latter being similarly movable inguides 10 on the 70 handle and carrying a plate 14 for move ment by finger pressure. By this arrangement, the aforesaid plunger will obviously be retracted against its spring tension so: as to release the handle for turning movement 75 when the plate 14 is pressed by the thumb of the hand grasping the handle. 7

The'member carried by the swivel pin'or shaft 10 for closing thealarm circuit. (within the alarm-box proper) when the aforesaid handle 10 is turned is represented by a lengthadjustable arm 15 which swings with turning movement of the handle to strike and move or engage a contact closure-member (not shown) so as to give the alarm at a the station. 'As the arrangement of parts for closing the circuit may vary in diiferent types of alarm-boxes, and inasmuch as the'circuitclosure mechanism is not subject-matter of the present invention, it is unnecessary to describe this feature further than to state that the circuit is closed or caused to be closed by the aforesaid arm or equivalent element when the hand-operable means is turned. It will therefore be appreciated that the invention is applicable to any type of fire-alarm box wherein the circuit is closed by movement of a handle or lever grasped by the person sounding the alarm.

In certain types of alarm-boxes, notably the older types, the hand operable means for sounding the alarm may act directly upon a member movable to close the circuit. In so far as the present invention is concerned it is of little consequence whether the circuit is closed by a handle or'leveror by apart moving therewith, as in the present enample I11 either event the arm or wrist of a person sounding the alarm will be caughtwithin the casing so as to detain the person until subsequently released by a key carried by fire men or police arriving at the box. The means by which this is accomplished will now be described.

A' normally concealed slide-plate 16 is arranged within the casing for movement behind and across the aforesaid opening "T therein, so as to reduce or restrict said opening suiiiciently to prevent withdrawal of the hand of a person operating .the above described alarm sounding-means. Said plate is movable between guides 17 disposed tan-- gentially of the opening on diametrically opposite sides thereof. In this instancethe plate is formed with an arcuate edge conforming substantially with the edge of the opening so as to reduce the latter to elliptical shape when moved thereacross. A rackbar or portion 16 is provided on the face of the slide for a purpose to appear presently.

Supported in the casing walls or brackets, a rocking rod 18 is arranged at substantially right angles to the movement planes of the slide-plate 16 and-alarm handle 10 respectively. On opposite ends of said rod, levers 19 and 20 are fixed at inclination to swing with rocking movement of the rod. The

lever 19 extends across the lon itudinal center line of the slide-plate and is formed with an elongate slot 19 in its free end through which a pin 16 on said line'o'f said plate extends. The lever 20 is pivotally connected with one end of a link 21 having opposite end pivotal connection with a crank-pin 22 o n the aforesaid alarm handle.

By such arrangement, turning movement of the handle to close the alarm circuit will occasion a pulling swing on the lever 20 so as to rock the rod 18 and thereby swing the lever 19 to quickly move the slide-plate across the hand opening in the casing and prevent withdrawal of the hand. On return movement of the handle; the reverse action will obviously take place to force the slide to normal position.

When said plate is thus moved across the hand opening, its rack-bar portion 16 is en gaged by a dog-member 23 preventing reverse movement thereof and consequently of the alarm handle also until disengaged by lock means. Said dog-member is fixed on a rockable rod 24 supported in the casing wall or brackets behind the slide. It-is held normally adapted to engage the rack-bar of the slide by a spring 25 acting on one arm of an angular lever-member 26 having its other arm secured to or in thezaforesaidxrod The spring-tensioned arm of said levermember is shown acted upon also by the keymovedplunger-of a lock 27 so as to swing it for'ro'cking the rod suflici'ently to disengage the. dog-member from -th'e rack-bar portion of the slide, thereby permitting the alarm handle to'beturned -to normal position forcing return movement also of the slide to release the operators hand, whereuponthe lock plunger is retracted to allow back rocking of the rod and dog-member under action of the aforesaid spring.

As th'e'inventionmay be applied to alarm boXes of-diiferent' types by making minor, changes in the form, construction and ar-, rangement of certain parts without depart ing from its spirit and scope, the appended claims are not intended to be limiting to the Specific construction shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An appliance for the call-box of ,a'firealarm telegraph embodying ,hand-turnable means controlling the same and having an opening through which the hand of an operator is inserted to operate said means,'a slideplate, means supporting said plate for slide movement restrictively over said opening in the box for confining the wrist of a person operating the 'hand-turnable means, means connecting said hand-turnable means with said slide-plate 5 whereby the turning movement in opposite directions of the former is converted torslide movement in corresponding opposite directions of the latter, means holding the. slide-plate in position restrict ing the aforesaid opening when moved there-' over, and lock-control means for operating sa dholdmg means to release said slide-plate for return to normal non-restricting position on reverse operation of said hand-turnable' means so as toliberatethe wrist ofthe operator.

2. In combination with a-fire-alarm box having hand-turnable means operable to close a circuit of an alarm telegraph" and an opening through which'thehand of an operator isinsertd to operateithe same, a slideplate, means supporting said plate for slide movement restrict-ively over said opening to confine therein the wrist of a person operating said hand-turnable means, means connecting said hand-turnable means with said slide-plate whereby the turning movement of the former in opposite directions is converted into slide movement of the latter-in correspondingly opposite directions, ratchet means preventing return movement of the slide-plate when moved in one direction over the opening, and lock-control means operable to release said ratchet means so as to permit return movement of the slide-plate and liberate the operator upon his moving the handturnable means back to normal position.

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature.

FRANK WISN EWSKI; 

